Stats & Training
Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Shiftry's Attack does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Attack EVs per KO. Tough to catch, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
By flapping its leafy fan, it can whip up gusts of 100 ft/second that can level houses.
By flapping its leafy fan, it can whip up gusts of 100 ft/second that can level houses.
Shiftry Weakness
Shiftry's Grass/Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, and Flying. Bug hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Shiftry leans offensive (base 100 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
In Black & White, Dragonite can KO Shiftry with Outrage (104-122%). Volcarona threatens a KO with Fire Blast (174-205%).
 Dragonite Dragon | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMultiscale ItemLum Berry NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Dragonite builds →Extreme Speed46-54% Outrage104-122%KO | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemLum Berry NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Volcarona builds →Giga Drain20-23% Fire Blast 2x174-205%KO | ||
 Heatran FireSteel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
 Conkeldurr Fighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityGuts ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Conkeldurr builds →Drain Punch 2x134-158%KO Mach Punch 2x72-85% | ||
 Tentacruel WaterPoison | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityRaindish ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Tentacruel builds →Rapid Spin11-14% Scald17-20% | ||
Black & White Evolution
Shiftry evolved from Seedot's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Seedot eggs (quick to hatch). The evolution from Seedot pushed Shiftry to 480 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +60. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Shiftry to get Seedot eggs easily using 181 partners from the Ground and Plant egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Bullet Seed and 9 more.
Black & White Shiftry Best Moveset
Shiftry's locked into one move per switch-in with Choice Specs, trading flexibility for boosted special damage with move lock. Dark Pulse is the go-to spam option, with the remaining moves keeping switch-ins honest.
Best Build
Shiftry best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Giga Drain
- Fake Out
Recommended Teammates
Moves
You'll want to breed for Amnesia and Beat Up on Shiftry. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Leaf Storm and Solar Beam, they expand what Shiftry can actually threaten in practice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
How to Get Shiftry in Black & White
Can't catch Shiftry directly. Start with Seedot at decent rates from the locations below, then evolve through a special method. The 3-stage chain from Seedot to Shiftry is where the leveling time goes.
Shiftry Guide
In Black & White, Shiftry looks average on paper at 480 BST. But Chlorophyll is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier attacker on our tier list. Dark Pulse with Choice Specs is the standard set.
In Black & White, watch for Scizor (Bug), Blaziken (Fire), and Lapras (Ice) when using Shiftry. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Scizor is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Poison, and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Shiftry gets Chlorophyll, Wind Rider, and Pickpocket. But Chlorophyll is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Shiftry is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 80 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.
For Black & White, Shiftry has answers, but so do you. Faster attackers outpace it. Anything with a super-effective STAB move and decent speed can revenge kill.
Game Availability
Since Ruby & Sapphire, Shiftry has been in 15 games. Requiring an item-based evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves